Finger scanners have been developed that detect the motion of the finger and translate the finger motion into corresponding motion (navigation) of a cursor or pointer. Such finger scanners have been integrated in laptop computers, cell phones, personal digital assistants, and other electronic devices. Since many of these devices are portable, they are frequently powered by batteries. In such devices, the conservation of power during the use of the finger scanner for navigational purposes is desirable because this will extend the useful period of battery operation.